The Sort It Session · £495 + VAT
The Sort It Session. A clear picture of what to do next.
You have an employee situation that is taking up too much headspace and carrying real risk. The Sort It Session gives you 60 to 90 minutes with me, a clear assessment of where you stand, your realistic options and a written plan within 48 hours. Here is exactly what you get.
I run every session personally. You deal with me, start to finish.
Your situation assessed, your options set out, your next steps in writing.
Bring me the situation. You will leave knowing where you stand, what your realistic options are and what to do next, with the plan written up for you.
What the session includes
- ✓A focused 60 to 90-minute working session on your exact situation, run by me personally.
- ✓A plain-English assessment of where you stand, including the risks I can see on the information available.
- ✓Your realistic options, with the practical consequences of each set out honestly.
- ✓A written action plan within 48 hours, the right steps in the right order, and what to avoid.
- ✓The key letter or script for your immediate next step, drafted or reviewed, so you know what to say and send.
Where the session ends, and what happens next
The session is an assessment and a plan. It is deliberately a fixed, contained piece of work, which is how it stays affordable.
It does not include running the process for you. Investigations, grievance and disciplinary hearings, appeals, redundancy programmes and settlement negotiations are separate pieces of work.
If your situation turns out to need that, I will tell you in the session and set out what it would involve. Scope, responsibilities, timescales and fee are agreed in writing before any further work starts. See how case management works →
Two free steps before you commit
The free 3-minute Situation Check and a free 20-minute call. I only take a session on if I believe it will genuinely help, and I will say so if I think you need something different.
Getting a dismissal or grievance wrong is expensive, and the ground is about to shift. For dismissals from 1 January 2027, the statutory cap on the compensatory award for unfair dismissal is removed, and the qualifying period falls from two years to six months.
Nobody can promise you will never face a claim. A fair, properly documented process helps you manage risk and demonstrate how decisions were reached.
Owners who want an adviser on call
Many owners keep me on call after the session, so the next issue is caught early rather than after it has grown. Formal casework is quoted separately. See On-going Support →
Who this is for
For business owners dealing with a live employee situation
This is not general HR advice. It is for owner-managed businesses without a dedicated HR function, dealing with one specific situation that needs sorting correctly and quickly. If you cannot afford to get it wrong, it is for you.
These are the situations it is built for:
- An employee whose performance has not improved despite earlier conversations
- A formal or informal grievance that needs handling properly
- A disciplinary process you need to run correctly from the start
- Long-term sickness absence with no clear return date
- Difficult behaviour from an employee you are not sure how to address
- A situation where you think dismissal may be the right outcome
- A redundancy or restructure that needs to be done fairly
- A settlement discussion you want to handle without creating additional risk
If yours is not listed, get in touch anyway. If it involves an employee and carries risk, it is likely something I can help with. Having someone doing HR internally is not a reason to rule this out, plenty of my work comes from businesses that do, for the situations nobody inside is far enough away from. What I do not do is courtroom representation, and if that is what you need I will tell you.
Why isn't the free call enough?
The free 20-minute call helps us understand what's happening and whether I can help. It's a chance to discuss the situation, identify the main issues and decide whether further support is needed.
What it doesn't do is solve the problem.
The Sort It Session is where we work through the issue properly. We'll review the situation, identify the risks, talk through your options and create a practical plan for what happens next.
You'll leave with clarity, direction and a clear understanding of the steps you should take. Many business owners tell me the biggest benefit is finally knowing what to do, rather than spending weeks worrying about making the wrong decision.
What happens
One session. Three steps. Done.
60 to 90 minutes with me, one to one. No preparation needed on your side.
- 1
You talk, I listen
Tell me what is happening in plain terms. No document to prepare, no legal terminology needed. I ask the questions that build the picture.
- 2
I tell you where you stand
Where the legal exposure sits, what you have already done correctly, where the gaps are, and what the realistic outcomes look like.
- 3
You leave with a plan
Exactly what to do next, in the right order, and what to avoid. In writing within 48 hours, so you can act on it with confidence.
Most owners tell me the relief comes from finally knowing what to do, rather than spending another few weeks worrying about getting it wrong.
"Most people tell me they wish they had done this sooner. The situation does not change, but having a clear plan changes everything about how you manage it."Samantha Newton FCIPD
Why work with Samantha
You deal directly with Samantha Newton FCIPD
Direct access, always
Not a call centre. Not a junior. I run the session myself, and you deal with me throughout.
Realistic options, not legal theory
Advice that accounts for your business, your team and what is actually workable, not just what the law technically permits.
FCIPD Chartered Fellow
The highest level of professional HR membership in the UK. Not a generalist. A specialist in employee relations and the decisions that carry legal risk.
25+ years' experience
25 years handling the situations that most business owners find most difficult. Disciplinaries, grievances, dismissals, absence, restructures.
Owner-managed business focus
Not a large corporate HR department. A specialist who understands what it means to run a business without a dedicated HR function.
No jargon, no hedge-everything caution
A straight answer about where you stand, what the risks are, and what to do. Not a document full of caveats.
“Samantha saved us from expensive employment law issues. A stressful situation handled in a fair and human way. Her advice was invaluable.”
What business owners say
★★★★★ 5.0 rating on Google reviews“She stepped in at short notice and supported us through a difficult HR issue with thorough, detailed advice. We've decided to continue working with her for all of our HR needs.”
“I got in touch about a difficult team issue I was feeling anxious and emotional about. From the very beginning Samantha was exceptional, reassuring, calm and compassionate, while also firm and clear when needed. Everything was explained in plain English with no jargon. The documentation, scripts and clear do's and don'ts she provided were invaluable. Without that level of support, the outcome could have been very different.”
“A confidential, strategic HR project handled with commercial insight and calm expertise. They got to the heart of the issue, challenged where it counted, and guided us to a smoother restructure with reduced risk and stronger alignment across the business.”
Next steps
Start with a free 20-minute call
The qualification call is free. I will listen to what is happening, give you an honest view of the situation and confirm whether the session is the right next step.
If the situation does not need a full session, I will tell you. There is no obligation.
Samantha Newton FCIPD · Chartered Fellow · 25+ years' experience · You deal directly with Samantha
The law is changing · about 3 months away
Why sooner is cheaper than later
From 1 January 2027, an employee can claim unfair dismissal after six months, not two years. Situations you could once take your time over will start to carry real risk from day one.
Handled properly now, this is a fixed £495. Handled badly after January, it is a different number entirely.